Heal The Hurt

OUR VIEWS

October 13, 1998|By Indigo

Hate crime or a senseless act of violence?

The death Monday of Matthew Shepard should cause people nationwide to shudder with revulsion.

Passers-by had found Mr. Shepard, an openly homosexual, 21-year-old college student in Laramie, Wyo., barely alive last Wednesday, tied to a fence post on a lonely road outside of town. They initially mistook his limp, battered body for that of a scarecrow.

Investigators said Mr. Shepard's attackers pistol-whipped him with such ferocity that it fractured his skull. Then they burned him before leaving him tied to the fence.

Police said they think robbery motivated the attack.

But the girlfriend of one of two men arrested in the attack said the beating resulted from a sexual overture Mr. Shepard made to one of the suspects.

Those who know the suspects expressed surprise, describing the men, both in their 20s, as quiet.

The revolting details of the crime have attracted attention nationwide and certainly will stir debates about sexual orientation, tolerance and crime. Such discussions can only help to open channels of communication and to curb the spread of misinformation.

But, as the police and courts do their work, people everywhere must question what could trigger a rage so violent that it would leave a man pummeled to a bloody pulp.

The crime should not stain the city of Laramie. More than 1,000 residents - in a population of 28,000 - held a vigil last week to show support for the victim's family and to denounce hate and violence. That demonstration can serve as a first step to help heal the pain and to strengthen the community.